Page 18 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

His eyes softened. ‘Of course you do, but I want to help. After all that happened with my mum, the need to keep you safe is as much a part of me as breathing.’ He pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Okay, let that go for now and let’s focus on the Flame.’ He was a born diplomat. ‘You say youneed it to keep you safe from your grandmother – but you couldn’t work with the Flame before you left, could you?’

‘No,’ I conceded. ‘But that was before the bind on my magic started to unravel. What I can do already – albeit accidentally – scares me. That rock slide … the traffic light … all without conscious direction on my part. Imagine what I could do with training and with the Flame. I could protect us all from my grandmother, I’m sure of it.’ I locked eyes with him. ‘And if I need to give a part of my soul to the Flame as well as to you, then I will.’

He stilled. ‘You haven’t given me a part of your soul,’ he said finally. ‘I’ve given you mine but at the moment it’s a one-way street.’

‘Maybe it is now,’ I agreed. ‘But if we move forward, I’d want that to change. I don’t want any inequality between us.’

Maddie thundered down the stairs. ‘Food!’ she shouted happily. ‘Hey, Fraser.’

‘All right, Mads?’

‘Been better,’ she admitted. ‘Nana and Ernie bonking has me spinning a bit.’

‘Well, at least they’ve got an unlimited supply of handcuffs, if that’s what they’re into,’ Fraser joked. Maddie glared at him; it was still too soon. ‘Come on,’ he tried again. ‘You have to find it abitsweet. I think it’s greatthat they’ve found each other. It’s something positive to come out of losing the Flame – and I’m guessing they’ve both been on their own for a long time.’

Maddie joined me on the floor: it seemed that none of us wanted the sofa tonight. We could have gone through to the dining room, but I wanted to keep an eye on the fireplace. The others must have realised that because they didn’t suggest moving.

‘Nana’s never had a relationship that I know of,’ Maddie admitted as she spooned curry into her mouth at dizzying speed.

‘I can see it from Ernie’s point of view,’ I mused. I still couldn’t quite see Ernie as my grandad, but Icouldsee him as a lonely old witch who had once been seduced by an evil sorceress and had never trusted anyone with his heart again. ‘Yanni is a respected chief inspector. Ernie knows she has moral fibre and he can trust her – and her position comes with a lot of power, meaning that he doesn’t have to worry that she wantshis. It makes a lot of sense.’

‘And from Yanni’s perspective, he’s an outsider and doesn’t belong to any of the sects,’ Fraser added. ‘Always being in a position of authority must be tough for her. Cross-sect relationships are always tricky because people immediately assume bias in favour of the partner’s sect. With Ernie being a loner, that pressure is off.’

Maddie gave a loud groan and hung her head. ‘Do you twohaveto be so logical about it? Fine, I’ll try to get on board with it – but I make no promises. If I see his hairy butt again, all bets are off.’ That was all we could ask for.

Given Maddie’s erratic emotions, it wasn’t time to bring up Nour’s theory about Maddie’s possible addiction to the Eternal Flame, but it was all I could think about. Conversation lagged a little as I struggled to find a safer topic.

Fraser turned at me. ‘What have you got planned for tomorrow?’

‘I need to spend a bit of time in the house to get my head straight. There’s no place like home.’

He checked his watch. ‘Speaking of home, I should go. I’ve got a load of council work to catch up on.’

‘Thank you so much for our food,’ Maddie said as he stood up. ‘We appreciate you.’

I walked with him to the front door. ‘Thanks for coming around, and for the food.’

‘Thanks for having me.’ He studied me. ‘I know we’ve been in each other’s pockets for weeks now, but the idea of being alone in my own home is suddenly less appealing.’ He leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss goodbye, then started to walk to the car. Suddenly he paused and turned back to me. ‘I understand why you want to bond with the Flame but I’m still worried about what it will take from you.’

‘Me too. But you know why I was upset in the cavern?’

‘You remembered your mum’s final words to you.’

‘No, Iunderstoodmy mum’s final words to me. She said, “Trust what it takes.”’

He ran a hand through his untidy dark hair. ‘Well, shit,’ he said finally.

‘Yeah.’

He eyed me. ‘You’re going to do it.’

‘If I can. I have to trust what the Flame will take.’

He sighed. ‘I can’t argue with your mum’s last words to you.’

I grinned. ‘You can’t. Does that mean I win our argument?’

He looked amused. ‘In a relationship, I’m not sure anyone wins.’

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